Ukraine may be suspended from Eurovision - EBU

The competition should allow Russian entry in, organizers believe.

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Photo: Photo: inshe.tv

Unless the issue of Russia's participation in Eurovision song contest held in Kyiv is resolved in the near future, Ukraine can be excluded from the list of participants in the contest, said Ingrid Deltenre, the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union, the organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest.

In an interview with the Swiss publication Blick, she called the ban on the entry of the Russian contestant "absolutely unacceptable."

She said negotiations are under way with the prime minister and the president of Ukraine regarding an "optimal solution".

Russia has decided to send to the Eurovision contest Yuliya Samoilova, who in 2015, in violation of Ukrainian legislation, gave a concert in the occupied Kerch, Crimea. Because of this concert, Samoylova was banned from entering the territory of Ukraine.

The European Broadcasting Union earlier proposed to arrange a distance participation of Samoilova in the contest via a satellite link. However, Russia's First Channel rejected the proposal.

Last week, the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Vyacheslav Kyrylenko suggested that Russia can take part in Eurovision by offering an entry who has no problems with Ukrainian legislation.

LB.ua must be linked directly in case of full or partial reproduction of materials. No materials containing links to the Ukrainian News agency or the Ukrainian Photo Group may be re-printed, copied, reproduced or used in any other way